Just for the murder of Honduran activist Berta Caceres will only be achieved when the rights of indigenous peoples to their land are respected, according to a senior United Nations official.
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Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the U.N.’s Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, welcomed the recent arrests of five suspects for the murder of the prominent activist, but in an interview with Inter Press Service she said the causes Caceres championed—such as opposition to the building of a hydroelectric dam on indigenous land—must be addressed as well.
“We cannot rest on our laurels to say the whole thing is finished because that’s not the point,” she said. “The point is this whole issue about the dam still being there.”
“You cannot delink the fight of indigenous people for their lands, territories and resources from the violence that’s committed against indigenous women (and men), especially if this is a violence that is perpetrated by state authorities or by corporate security,” added Tauli-Corpuz.
The development projects on indigenous lands are primarily the result of investments made by wealthy, developed countries, the official noted.
“You see a situation where the state is meant to be the main duty bearer for protecting the rights of indigenous peoples, but at the same time you see investors having strong rights being protected and that is really where a lot of conflicts come up,” she said.